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Another year, another round of tradeshows. Whether it’s Dreamforce or a local industry meetup, tech marketers rely on live events to help them generate leads and drive revenues. But, like any other widely-used tactic, tradeshows tend to produce varying levels of success for different marketers.

To make your exhibits stand out in 2018, we’re bringing you this neat little infographic from our latest free eBook. The visual showcases the biggest tech tradeshow trends you need to take into account when building your strategy.

The key to getting the right quality and quantity of booth visitors all boils down to one thing. You need to generate buzz around the event early. That means you should connect with attendees well before the opening day, since 8 in 10 IT buyers say they prefer to visit booths of exhibitors they’re already familiar with.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like getting free stuff or discounts. That’s why exclusive offers remain a proven tactic for attracting event attendees. Around 92% of the respondents in the UBM study appreciate vendors who promote exhibits via discount codes.

But offers and discounts only haul attendees in. To drive conversations and conversions, your exhibit needs to deliver genuine value. UBM’s findings report that 77% of tech buyers rate product managers as the most helpful people in tradeshow booths. They want to meet subject matter experts, not just marketing and sales reps.

Tip: Use offers, coupons, and deals to give attendees a reason to visit. But make them stay by staffing your booth with people who understand your product and your target customers.

Follow up, follow up, follow up

Anyone who took B2B event marketing 101 knows the power of timely follow-ups. But how soon should you reach out to your tradeshow leads after the event? The UBM survey notes that 79% of IT buyers think 1 to 2 weeks is an appropriate time window.

The study also finds that more than a third of IT prospects want to receive further information after an event, while another 38% expect a post-tradeshow email from a sales rep.

Tip: Follow up, by all means, follow up. Use your past results and experience to figure exactly when and how to do this. But if you only have limited event marketing experience to draw from, start with UBM’s findings as your guideline.

If you need further proof that tradeshows work, then consider this: 56% of IT buyers contact a vendor after seeing them at an event, while 54% turned into customers following a tradeshow. Of course, tradeshow success comes in other forms, too. Marketers gauge events by new referrals/introductions, lead quality/quantity, won deals, value of sales, and upsell/cross-sell opportunities.

Tip: Take a look at the tactics we followed to boost our campaign ROI at Dreamforce 2016. With our strategy, the Callbox team was able to generate:

55 inquiries

12 signups

3 appointments scheduled

2 contracts signed

That’s the power of tradeshows done right. There’s no other marketing channel that brings you up close and personal with potential customers. No matter how digitally connected the world becomes, there’s just no substitute for an in-person handshake.

Another year, another round of tradeshows. Whether it’s Dreamforce or a local industry meetup, tech marketers rely on live events to help them generate leads and drive revenues. But, like any other widely-used tactic, tradeshows tend to produce varying levels of success for different marketers.

To make your exhibits stand out in 2018, we’re bringing you this neat little infographic from our latest free eBook. The visual showcases the biggest tech tradeshow trends you need to take into account when building your strategy.

The key to getting the right quality and quantity of booth visitors all boils down to one thing. You need to generate buzz around the event early. That means you should connect with attendees well before the opening day, since 8 in 10 IT buyers say they prefer to visit booths of exhibitors they’re already familiar with.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like getting free stuff or discounts. That’s why exclusive offers remain a proven tactic for attracting event attendees. Around 92% of the respondents in the UBM study appreciate vendors who promote exhibits via discount codes.

But offers and discounts only haul attendees in. To drive conversations and conversions, your exhibit needs to deliver genuine value. UBM’s findings report that 77% of tech buyers rate product managers as the most helpful people in tradeshow booths. They want to meet subject matter experts, not just marketing and sales reps.

Tip: Use offers, coupons, and deals to give attendees a reason to visit. But make them stay by staffing your booth with people who understand your product and your target customers.

Follow up, follow up, follow up

Anyone who took B2B event marketing 101 knows the power of timely follow-ups. But how soon should you reach out to your tradeshow leads after the event? The UBM survey notes that 79% of IT buyers think 1 to 2 weeks is an appropriate time window.

The study also finds that more than a third of IT prospects want to receive further information after an event, while another 38% expect a post-tradeshow email from a sales rep.

Tip: Follow up, by all means, follow up. Use your past results and experience to figure exactly when and how to do this. But if you only have limited event marketing experience to draw from, start with UBM’s findings as your guideline.

If you need further proof that tradeshows work, then consider this: 56% of IT buyers contact a vendor after seeing them at an event, while 54% turned into customers following a tradeshow. Of course, tradeshow success comes in other forms, too. Marketers gauge events by new referrals/introductions, lead quality/quantity, won deals, value of sales, and upsell/cross-sell opportunities.

Tip: Take a look at the tactics we followed to boost our campaign ROI at Dreamforce 2016. With our strategy, the Callbox team was able to generate:

55 inquiries

12 signups

3 appointments scheduled

2 contracts signed

That’s the power of tradeshows done right. There’s no other marketing channel that brings you up close and personal with potential customers. No matter how digitally connected the world becomes, there’s just no substitute for an in-person handshake.

About Us

Founded in 2004, Callbox is the largest provider of Multi-Touch Multi-Channel Marketing solutions for businesses and organizations worldwide. Its core competencies include Lead Generation, Appointment Setting, Lead Nurturing and Database Services, delivered through its proprietary marketing automation platform, the Callbox Pipeline.

Callbox enables companies to gain a foothold in their priority markets by initiating conversations with prospects through the efficient and intelligent use of targeted touchpoints over six channels: voice, email, social, chat, website and mobile.